The word batik is thought to be derived from the word ‘ambatik’ which translated means ‘a cloth with little dots’. The suffix ‘tik’ means little dot, drop, point or to make dots. Batik may also originate from the Javanese word ‘tritik’ which describes a resist process for dying where the patterns are reserved on the textiles by tying and sewing areas prior to dying, similar to tie dye techniques. Another Javanese phase for the mystical experience of making batik is “mbatik manah” which means “drawing a batik design on the heart”.

A Brief History

Although experts disagree as to the precise origins of batik, samples of dye resistance patterns on cloth can be traced back 1,500 years ago to Egypt and the Middle East. Samples have also been found in Turkey, India, China, Japan and West Africa from past centuries. Although in these countries people were using the technique of dye resisting decoration, within the textile realm, none have developed batik to its present day art form as the highly developed intricate batik found on the island of Java in Indonesia.

Patung

King Kertajasa East Java 1294-1309Although there is mention of ‘fabrics highly decorated’ in Dutch transcripts from the 17th century, most scholars believe that the intricate Javanese batik designs would only have been possible after the importation of finely woven imported cloth, which was first imported to Indonesia from India around the 1800s and afterwards from Europe beginning in 1815. Textile patterns can be seen on stone statues that are carved on the walls of ancient

Javanese temples such as Prambanan (AD 800), however there is no conclusive evidence that the cloth is batik. It could possibly be a pattern that was produced with weaving techniques and not dying. What is clear is that in the 19th century batik became highly developed and was well ingrained in Javanese cultural life. Some experts feel that batik was originally reserved as an art form for Javanese royalty. Certainly it’s royal nature was clear as certain patterns were reserved to be worn only by royalty from the Sultan’s palace.

Princesses and noble women may have provided the inspiration for the highly refined design sense evident in traditional patterns. It is highly unlikely though that they would be involved in any more than the first wax application. Most likely, the messy work of dyeing and subsequent waxings was left to court artisans who would work under their supervision. Javanese royalty were known to be great patrons of the arts and provided the support necessary to develop many art forms, such as silver ornamentation, wayang kulit (leather puppets) and gamelan orchestras. In some cases the art forms overlap. The Javanese dalang (puppeteer) not only was responsible for the wayang puppets but was also Tambil Miring Designan important source of batik patterns.

Wayang puppets are usually made of goat skin, which is then perforated and painted to create the illusion of clothing on the puppet. Used puppets were often sold to eager ladies who used the puppets as guides for their batik patterns. They would blow charcoal through the holes that define the patterns of clothing on the puppets, in order to copy the intricate designs onto the cloth. Other scholars disagree that batik was only reserved as an art form for royalty, as they also feel its use was prevalent with the rakyat, the people. It was regarded an important part of a young ladies accomplishment that she be capable of handling a canting (the pen-like instrument used to apply wax to the cloth) with a reasonable amount of skill, certainly as important as cookery and other housewifery arts to Central Javanese women.

Di Indonesia motif batik sangat erat hubungannya dengan sejarah dan budaya suatu daerah. Seperti halnya Solo, Pekalongan, Cirebon, dan juga Jogja masin masing memiliki corak dan motif batik yang memiliki nilai falsafah serta aturan pemaikaian yang berbeda-beda. Namun saat ini dalam perkembangannya, orang memakai batik bukan lagi karena makna atau filosofinya, namun lebih pada keindahan saja. Bahkan saat ini telah menjadi tren di tengah masyarakat, tidak hanya busana yang menggunakan batik sebagai bahannya. Bedcover, sprei, sarung bantal, gorden, bahkan tas sekalipun sudah banyak yang dibuat menggunakan kain batik sebagai hiasan. Ini adalah cara yang baik untuk membantu melestarikan seni batik di tanah air Indonesia tercinta.

Untuk itu mari kita sedikit mengupas ragam motif batik tradisional terutama batik jawa seperti batik Jogja dan batik Solo. Berdasarkan nama, motif batik dibagi atas 10 kelompok yaitu lereng,  terang bulan, parang, kawung, gringsing, ceplok, truntum, nitik, motif pinggiran, dan semen. Akan tetapi saat ini motif batik sudah berkembang sangat pesat hingga ratusan dalam bentuk kombinasi motif batik yang sangat bervariasi.

Sumber: http://www.rinisari.com/